Lights Out
by You Can Call Me Nora
Summary: After being humiliatingly banished to the Underworld, Medusa launches her vengeful fury on Skyworld and its inhabitants, quickly bringing it to its knees. As Angel Land falls under a veil of darkness, and with the goddess of light imprisoned, only one spark of hope remains in the hands of a lone, flightless angel. A dramatic retelling of the events leading up to the 1986 NES game.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.:** Good day, everyone. I actually had a different note up here, but I was doing a few grammar edits and I accidentally lost the original note. Not that anyone reads this any, probably. But if you noticed this was different, that's why.

Anyway, I basically wrote this as a bit of an intro to the original Kid Icarus, because why not? NES games are infamous for throwing you into a game with no explanation, story or instructions at all, and I kinda wanted to provide that. Now, the original instruction manual for the game has a bit of story in it, but it's kinda goofy and kinda lightly glosses over the fact that Medusa kinda ransacked both Skyworld and the world of mortals and imprisoned the only 2 survivors on opposite sides of Angel Land, or whatever you want to call the Underworld-Overworld-Skyworld setup. I mean, that's pretty hardcore. So, I figured I'd give it a bit more of a dramatic spin. Was this an improvement? Should I have bothered? Well, I'll let you be the judge of that. :)

Anyway, sorry about that rambling on there. The game Kid Icarus, its elements, and its characters are owned by Nintendo. Really, the plot is theirs, too, I just jazzed it up a bit. :P Please enjoy it!

* * *

The attack came swiftly and without warning.

That's not to say it came completely out of the blue. Palutena had expected opposition, contempt, and rancor from the goddess of darkness after her exile to the Underworld. But the ferocity and intensity with which the Underworld Army swept across Angel Land, bearing the burning vengeance of Medusa herself, was far beyond what anyone could have expected. And as the enemy stormed with the unstoppable force of a tsunami toward Skyworld, it was clear that her underestimation of the serpent-haired goddess would be her gravest mistake.

The centurions of her guard responded immediately to the call to arms, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and outclassed in every way. For the vast majority of them, it was their first real taste of combat, and as the shadow of Medusa's wrath loomed over the light-bathed world, it was clear that this would be a fight for their very lives. Nevertheless, they held their ground, swallowing their fear, prepared to fight to the bitter end to defend their home and their goddess.

"The troops are assembled, Lady Palutena," a young voice reported smartly. The goddess of light glanced down at her captain and almost smiled. He was young, barely more than a child, even by mortal standards, and it was almost comical to see this wet-behind-the-ears angel saluting her with all the authority of a high-ranking military officer, armed with nothing more than a little bow. Anyone else would have thought it was foolishness to recruit the angelic youth into any kind of combat setting, never mind being given the role as captain, especially where his snowy, white wings couldn't even lift him off the ground, but she saw beyond all of that. Behind the physical weaknesses, there was a light in his eyes; a courage and resolve that burned with a brightness that rivaled her own. Bordered by a kind and gentle face, a fiery passion for justice blazed out of the sapphire orbs that even now stared up at her with that unwavering faith that firmly believed that good would always triumph over evil. It was that pure and simple, undying hopefulness that gave her the foolish epiphany of putting a flightless angel in charge of her forces.

It was the fear of quenching that fiery glow that kept her from confessing how she knew this massacre would play out.

"Good. You'd better go join them, Pit," she said. "It won't be long now before they arrive." With one final glance at the rapidly approaching forces of darkness, she turned and reached for her helmet and shield. They had been a gift long ago, and she never thought she'd ever have to make use of them, but with death literally at her doorstep, now was as good a time as any to arm herself for a potential last stand. "We can't let her gain any further headway."

The polished, blue armour shimmered as it caught the light, and she caught a glimpse of her reflection staring back at her, the wavering dread in her eyes unmistakable even in that quick glance. She quickly dismissed the blue face in the shield with a no-nonsense scowl at it, hoping that it was convincing enough to smother the sinking sensation that was building in her chest.

"Are you gonna fight, too?" Pit asked with an almost incredulous undertone.

She took a deep breath and locked eyes with him, her face a mask of steeled resolve. "Medusa is invading our home, Pit. _My_ home. She is no longer welcome in Skyworld, and I'm going to personally make sure she understands that."

Pit blinked with surprise at the serious words from the normally good-humoured goddess, the heaviness of the situation finally beginning to set in. He opened his mouth briefly to say something more, then thought otherwise and brought his fist to his heart and inclined his head in a parting salute. "Okay. We'll hold her back with everything we've got." He brought his eyes up to meet hers before adding, "We won't let her back into Skyworld, Lady Palutena. I promise."

Palutena raised her staff in dismissal. "Go, Pit," she ordered as he left for the battle. The skies by this point were the blackest she'd ever seen them, with thick, angry clouds closing in on all sides and blocking out the sun. Her mask of bravery faltered for a moment as anguished cries and terrified screams from the people already being engulfed by Medusa's forces reached her ears, begging for deliverance from the plague of death that had suddenly befallen them. She tried to suppress the overbearing shame and humiliation that in their hour of need, when they needed her most, she was unable to do anything but make a final, feeble stand against the terrible darkness that now threatened them all. Darkness that she, ultimately, had created.

She had only a moment to reflect on this before the Underworld Army crashed through Skyworld's gates, dispersing chaos and destruction in their wake. Pit courageously led the counter-charge, but despite their fearlessness, it was laughable how absurdly out of their league they were. The centurions were immediately scattered in all directions in the violent confusion, despite Pit's desperate attempts to hold formation.

"Aiyeeeee!"

"Th-there's way too many!"

"Stand your ground! We have to defend Skyworld!"

"I know! But-aaaaargh!"

"What are these things?!"

"I never signed up for this!"

"Waaaaaugh!"

"Why is this happening?!"

"No! Hold your position!"

"What position?!"

"Eeeeeek!"

Just as the chaotic confusion was about to spill over into panic, a beam of pure light shot out of the Temple of Light and pierced through the swarms of darkness like a lance. Palutena herself stood at its doors, expertly wielding her staff as it channeled her strength into a radiant death-ray for the invaders. A victorious cheer erupted from the disarrayed centurions as the Underworld monsters began scattering.

"Alright! Take that, Underworld fiends!" Pit shouted triumphantly.

" _Don't celebrate just yet_ ," Palutena warned him, her voice reaching him clearly despite the distance between them. " _This is far from over_."

No sooner had she spoken when a thick, black shock wave of physical blackness pulsed across the sky, breaking through Palutena's beam of light like it was nothing. She stumbled backwards from the sudden, harsh counterattack, and glanced up in time to watch it fill the sky in all directions and then descend upon them, enveloping Skyworld in an oppressive and foul-smelling cloud of inky, black fog.

Her army staggered through the haze as it enveloped them all, desperately searching for each other while trying not to gag at the stench. Blinded by uncontrollable, burning tears, as well as the fog, they were quickly set upon by the onslaught of monsters hidden in the shadows that now mercilessly preyed upon them. Palutena tried to break up this new attack by distributing small orbs that would flash with bursts of light that pushed back the cloud, but while it would briefly disperse, it would just as quickly close in again, trapping her terrified centurions once again in its reeking clutches.

Surrounded by the frenzied screams of her soldiers as the cloud closed in around her, she focused her energy inward and then upward, becoming a pillar of radiance that forced back the shadowy mist with a menacing and vengeful hiss. Upward it raced, into the swirling mass of blackness that hung over Skyworld, crashing into it like an avalanche. But it didn't break through. Like a stone wall the ceiling of shadows held firm, and in fact appeared to be pushing back Palutena's attack as endless streams of black fog swirled around it from below, trying to drag it down to the depths far below.

There was a brief lull in the action as friend and foe alike stared in dumbfounded awe at the dazzling brilliance standing up to the darkness, waiting to see if it or the swirling darkness would give way first. Even Pit gazed with wide eyes through the obscuring fog at this new display of his goddess's power, and how even it seemed to be powerless before the engulfing shadows. He could feel a touch of warmth from its rays on his face and wings, but it seemed to be muffled by the surrounding darkness that was trying to smother it.

"Lady Palutena…?" he breathed softly. He didn't know she could do that. It was such a bold and powerful explosion of energy that was nothing like he'd ever seen before, and yet he couldn't help but wonder if such an extreme display was a bit of a last-ditch effort.

Fear pricked at his heart as the situation was quickly becoming more and more dire. What if she couldn't break through? How long could she keep this up for? And, come to think of it, why hadn't she answered him? Whirling around and landing a well-aimed arrow at a serpentine Shemum that had tried to sneak up behind him, he sprinted toward Palutena with an ever-building sense of urgency. "Rally to the light!" he called out to his remaining soldiers. "We have to protect Lady Palutena! Rally and re-establish ranks!"

" _Ha ha ha ha… I don't think so,_ " an icy cold and eerily familiar laugh echoed throughout Skyworld, sending chills of dread down everyone's spines. The swirling, black mass compressed itself at the end of the beam of light and, with a deadly pulse of energy, quickly overwhelmed it and drove it like a piledriver back at Palutena. As it struck its target, there was a cry from the goddess followed by an explosion of light and dark energy that quickly smothered any remaining glow of her power.

"NO!" Pit screamed as the energy wave raced toward him. He dove for the ground as it surged over him, an frigid chill rushing over his wings as his face scraped over the marble tiles. It rushed over top of him like a gale, threatening to blow him away completely, but he held out until it finally died down. Springing to his feet, he barely had time to regain his footing before he froze and blanched at the sight that met him.

Standing between him and Palutena was the unmistakable silhouette of the goddess of darkness herself. She had her back to him, looming tall over the fallen form of her nemesis, a long, shadowy purple and gold trimmed dress wrapped around her ashy, greenish-grey skin, and coils of hissing serpents in place of ebony hair, but it was definitely her.

"Medusa!" He charged towards her, drawing his bow. Goddess or not, there was no way he was going to let this intruder anywhere near Palutena.

Her head turned slightly, and a few snakes atop her head snapped is his direction, baring their fangs and spitting venom viciously. "Oh? Still fighting, are we? Cute," she said coldly, her voice scraping out of her throat like a rusty razor. Without even glancing in his direction, she generated a small orb of dark energy at her fingers and flicked it at him. It moved faster than he anticipated and slammed into his stomach with the all force of a sledgehammer, sending him tumbling backwards, end over end, until he finally collided with something hard, rugged, and solid that nearly knocked him senseless. He crumpled in a dishevelled heap, groaning as he struggled to fight through the black tunnel that had started closing in around the edges of his vision.

"Enough!" Palutena shouted and, quickly rising to her feet, swung her staff at her attacker, unleashing a blinding wave of light in a wide arc. Medusa blocked it with an outstretched arm and countered with her own wave of blackness. Barely holding her ground, Palutena withstood it and retaliated again, leading to the two goddesses to a back-and-forth rally of light and dark energy blasts that shook Skyworld to its foundations.

"Enough? This is just the beginning."

"Ngh! You have no right to be here!"

"Haven't I? This is my home as much as it is yours, goddess of light."

"Not anymore. Your presence is a danger to all who live here."

"Ha! Including yourself? Is that why you had me exiled?" Black lightning shot out of Medusa's fingers as her words abruptly turned violent.

"Aah!" Palutena managed to raise her shield in time, but waves of energy rippled up her arms in icy tendrils that burned her skin.

"And if that wasn't enough, you turned me into _this_!" The single, crimson eye in the center of her serpent-wreathed face unleashed a sudden pulse of concentrated malice that wrenched Palutena's shield from her grip, leaving her open.

"Uhn!" Staggering backwards, but remaining in a shaky stance, she held her staff with both hands in front of her as a last wall of defence. "N-no. All I did was show you the shadow in your heart that everyone else could already see."

"Ha," Medusa spat mirthlessly, her eye narrowing to a scarlet slit, her snakes hissing in venomous antipathy. Then she bared her pointed teeth as her face twisted into a sadistic smile. "Is that so? Then I suppose it's only fair to return the favor."

Palutena set her jaw firmly. "Darkness cannot overcome light, Medusa. You cannot defeat me."

"Heh-heh. We'll see," With a chorus of hisses from her hair, she lunged forward in a final attack.

"Ugh…" Pit shook the last of the stars from his eyes and found himself staring into the blank yet intently focused gaze of a monoeye, directly fixated on him and rapidly closing the gap in between them. With a panicked yelp, he sprang out of the way as it rammed into the spot where he had been an instant earlier, narrowly escaping the monster's attack. He expertly drew an arrow as he spun around and let it fly, the arrow piercing its dry, scaly flesh. As it melted away into dust, he glanced down briefly, and physically recoiled in aghast repulsion at the sight of what the fiend had run into instead of him.

It had toppled over from the impact, but there was no mistaking it: the small, stone structure he had been leaning against moments ago was a statue, but not one of the white, marble pieces of art that decorated Skyworld. It was a dull grey stone: rugged, hard, cold, and devoid of any kind of life. But it wasn't the material that struck him into horrified silence, it was the fact that carved into the bleak, dead material was the petrified form of a centurion, his face frozen in a permanent, silent scream of terror. The cold, wide open, lifeless eyes stared blankly into space, forever locked onto an enemy he could no longer see and yet could not look away from. His body was twisted in between fighting for his homeland and running for his life, and it was morbidly clear from the cracks that ran along his torso and arms that he would be doing neither again anytime soon.

Wrenching his eyes from the dreadful fate his comrade had met, Pit staggered backwards and took a few seconds to take in the state of the battlefield as the invasion continued in full force all around him. Dozens of lifeless statues littered the now barren landscape of crumbling marble pillars, with hideous monsters of the Underworld weaving through the maze of ruins that was all that was left of the once beautiful Skyworld. Only a handful of his soldiers remained, but they were scattered in every direction, desperately trying to fend off the never-ending stream of blood-thirsty enemies that fell upon them from all sides. All he could see around him was his home being overridden with creatures that looked like they had crawled out of a nightmare and had now taken up a hobby of desecrating all of Angel Land as quickly and thoroughly as they could.

At the entrance to the Temple of Light, Palutena was still under attack by Medusa, the two now fighting over the glowing sceptre clenched tightly in the goddess of light's hands. It was clear that Palutena was struggling to maintain her grip as she dodged the green lightning her foe shot at her from her eye while trying to resist Medusa's attempts to yank the staff away from her.

Pit gasped and dashed toward the quarreling goddesses, taking out all the Underworld minions that stood in his way. He wouldn't allow himself to be knocked back so easily this time, weaving in and around waves of reapers, miks and speknoses, laying waste to everything within range, rearming his bow as quickly as he could fire. His rapid surge through the enemy's defenses caught the attention of his remaining soldiers, who began gathering to him and firing on anything their captain missed.

"Push back the enemy! Don't let them get any farther!" he shouted to his troops. Though few in number, they answered with a rallying, wholehearted shout that signaled their last stand.

"Ugh. How annoying," muttered Medusa, rolling her eye and scowling at Palutena with contempt. "How do you put up with those little pests?" Then, without waiting for an answer, she threw back her head and screeched, "Commanders of Darkness! Get up here, _now_!"

Before anyone could react further, a cacophony of harmonized howling rang through the air, and a swirling column of flame erupted from the darkness, tinting the black sky a deep shade of blood red. It rooted itself firmly in between the goddesses and Pit's ragtag team of survivors, forcing the advancing soldiers into an abrupt halt. The scattered remnants of the army of light was flung back into even further disarray as first one paw and then a long, scaly tail stepped out of the inferno. Suddenly, with another ghastly chorus of hellish howls, mixed this time with vicious roars and bone-chilling laughter, the fiery pillar exploded outward revealing three horrific figures: a massive, snarling, two-headed dog draped heads-to-toe in blazing fire; a long, winding, serpentine dragon body sporting three hungrily grinning heads; and a smaller but no less frightening ball of blue fire that looked over at her newfound prey with maniacal glee in her otherwise lifeless eyes.

"Hmph. So this is the so-called 'realm of light'? How drab," the fireball complained in an unimpressed manner.

"At least they sent us a welcoming committee," one of the dragon's heads offered, leering down at the bewildered centurions wolfishly.

"Heh-heh. Saved us the trouble of sniffing them out," another added, licking his lips with a forked tongue.

"Not that it would be hard," quipped the third, sniffing the air and sighing luxuriously. "Ahh. Don't you just love the smell of fear in the morning?"

"Deal with them," Medusa instructed, not even bothering to look over in their direction. "I'm catching up with my old friend, Palutena."

Pit's heart sank as the newcomers exchanged sadistic grins. He glanced between them and Palutena, who was still trying to hold back Medusa. Her eyes flickered in his direction, and her carefully crafted mask of bravery faltered for that brief instant, returning his desperate gaze with one of her own.

In that moment, he could see in her eyes the last shreds of hope slipping away from them, like sand through their fingers, and the unfamiliar sting of despair pricked unbidden at his heart.

The fiery dog moved first, lunging towards its prey with a duet of ferocious barking. The centurions immediately scattered, taking to the air in a frenzied flurry of feathers. It was clear that this was a mistake, though, as those that took to the air immediately became targets for the dragon, whose heads gleefully snapped at the ones within range of their long necks and breathed streams of fire at the ones farther off in between bouts of laughter.

Pit, of course, stayed low, diving out of the massive beast's way as it leaped at the escaping centurions with howls of bloodlust. He hated to leave his troops at the mercy of the invading fiends, but he needed to get to Palutena's side as soon as possible. He swallowed the rising fear in his chest and charged forward; he wasn't going to let this battle end like this if he could help it.

A snarl from behind warned him that he had suddenly become the focus of the ravenous canine that had decided on crispy angel wings for its dinner. He glanced over his shoulder to see two wide-open, snarling jaws full of teeth and fire quickly closing the gap between him and them.

"Going somewhere, Captain?" a bone chilling voice taunted him. The maniacal, blue fireball darted in front of him, blocking his path with the sadistic grin of a cat that was toying with a mouse. As he skidded to a halt, he whirled to face the burning beast that was making a final leap for him. He dodged too late, and while he avoided the razor-sharp fangs, the blaze singed his wing, and he struggled to keep his footing as he reeled from the intense heat and pain.

 _Talk about a hot dog,_ his brain chirped in an insane attempt at levity, but he didn't even have time to shakily laugh at his own, lame joke before he was knocked flat by a bubble of energy that touched his shoulder and exploded in an unexpectedly powerful blast. He propped himself on one knee, quickly drawing an arrow to his bow and promptly froze as he discovered there were no less than six sets of maliciously villainous eyes staring down at him on all sides, each daring him to make another move. He quickly pivoted around, aiming at each opponent in turn, knowing he couldn't fire, but still refusing to surrender.

"Oh dear, the little morsel fell down," sneered a dragon head with a toothy grin.

"Watch out! He's still got his pea-shooter!" another mocked in a condescending sing-song, wagging its head back and forth giddily.

"Shouldn't make him any less tasty," the third rumbled, swinging its head down close enough Pit could smell its foul breath and spot a lone sandal sticking out from between its teeth.

"It looks like you've run out of places to run," the blue fireball purred. "You should have flown away when you had the chance. Oh, wait. You can't."

"H-hey! That's-!" Pit blurted, whirling around at the obvious jab at his handicap. He didn't get any farther than that, though, for there was a sudden cry from Palutena as Medusa wrenched her sceptre away and, twirling it deftly, brought it crashing down onto her nemesis's head. The _clang!_ of the staff hitting her helmet rang throughout Skyworld like a thunderclap, followed by the soft _flump_ of her body collapsing onto the hard, marble tile.

"NO! Lady Palutena! Are yo-aah!" Pit started to rush to her side, but was promptly blocked by two blazing rows of white-hot teeth that snapped at him as he leapt forward. He sprang sideways out of their reach, and then backwards as the grinning fireball lady swooped at him.

"Ah-ah-ahh, not so fast," she chided before spitting a glowing bubble of explosive energy at him, driving him further backwards. He fired at it, bursting it harmlessly, then launched himself forward again, making a desperate break for Palutena. He just caught a glimpse of a raised eye ridge and a smirk before getting slammed into from the side by a headbutt from a dragon's head. He was knocked onto the snout of a second dragon head, which tossed him up into the air where the third head was waiting with its teeth bared in an eager grin.

 _No! Not like this…!_ The thought ran through Pit's head as it looked like he was about to become dragon chow, but was cut off by sudden pain that instead of coming from the inescapable jaws of the beast came from its impenetrably scaly snout as it swung its head down and swatted him down to the ground like an insect. He hit the ground so hard he bounced, losing his grip on his bow in the shuddering impact. It clattered away out of reach as he lay breathlessly on the hard tile.

"Pit! Aaah-!" Palutena called out to her captain, but Medusa loosed wiry tendrils from her fingers which wrapped around her and formed into thick, black cords that bound her tightly.

"Ngh… no! L-leave her alone!" Pit struggled to get back up, reaching for his bow, but instead grabbed hold of a long, thin, scaly body, which wriggled at his touch.

"Ooh-hoo-hoo! Getting a little fresssh, aren't we?" a new voice giggled, and Pit immediately retracted his arm and looked up into the disturbingly dead gaze of a large, green serpent. Though not nearly the size of the dragon, its empty gaze reminded him of the distant, cold stare of the centurion statue, but with malicious intent directed solely at him.

It looked like the lifeless stare of death itself.

It suddenly sprang at him, winding itself around him with the speed and ferocity of lightning. Before Pit could even wonder where it had come from (Medusa's hair?), he was completely trapped in its deathly cold coils. He thrashed around desperately as it looped around his throat and slowly tightened its grip, but could only flail uselessly as the other Underworld monsters stood by and laughed.

"Look around, Palutena," Medusa'a voice crackled over the ruined landscape. "It's over. You've lost. Your ivory palace has crumbled. Your pathetic little stooges are nothing more than statues. And even your precious little captain is finished." She gestured around the remains of Skyworld with the stolen staff. "Now everyone can see you for what _you_ really are: a weak, useless has-been of a bygone age. Now you'll see what a true goddess is capable of."

"Ngh… Nrrk…!" Pit grunted through the bands of death dragging him down, fighting it with all he had, refusing to give up even now, but steadily getting weaker.

"Ooh, aren't you the ssstubborn little pipsssqueak," the snake hissed in his ear.

"End him, Tanatos," Medusa commanded. The serpent grinned wolfishly at his prey, bared his fangs and drew back for a final, venomous strike, evoking a panicked squeak out of the half-strangled angel.

"Wait!" Palutena called out, straining against the cruel bonds. "Don't, please."

Medusa eyed her as the snake paused mid-bite. "Excuse me?"

"Spare him. Please."

Medusa raised an eyebrow in delighted surprise. "Is that _begging_ I hear?"

Pautena met Medusa's gleeful gaze with resigned steadiness. "Hasn't there been enough bloodshed already?"

Medusa scoffed. "Enough? I told you, Palutena, this is just the beginning. Now you'll see what it feels like to have everything stripped away from you." She flashed a toothy smile as Palutena set her jaw grimly. Tanatos leaned in once again for the deadly bite.

"Then again, it has been a big day for everyone, hasn't it?" the goddess of darkness added coyly. Tanatos aborted his kill again with a disappointed hiss, as Pit gasped a few shaky, shallow breaths of relief. "And he does make the most entertaining noises, doesn't he?" She stooped down to her foe's level and tilted her chin up with the staff. "Maybe I'll keep him around for laughs. Torture him a bit. A few shrieks of agony could really liven up a Friday night, wouldn't you say?"

"…"

"Hmm… you know, I'm in a pretty good mood right now, so maybe we can come to some sort of agreement. So how about this: tell me where you've hidden the Three Sacred Treasures, and I might just keep you and your precious little pet alive."

Palutena grimaced at the farce of an offer, then glanced at Pit, who was still struggling for breath a short distance away. It was clear that the battle was lost, and the Treasures would be taken whether she helped them find them or not. However, it was just as clear that the vengeful goddess wanted _total_ victory over her enemy, and she would continue her rampage unless she got what she wanted.

For it wasn't the Treasures she wanted. It was surrender.

Palutena lowered her gaze somberly. "…Very well. You win, Medusa."

Medusa beamed triumphantly. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that," she almost purred, returning to her full height.

"Ngrk! N-no…!" Pit grunted desperately, flailing weakly in Tanatos' grip.

"You always were far too soft, Palutena. Always looking out for the weak and helpless ones. First with those stupid humans, and now with this pathetic, flightless runt." She stepped toward Pit, who finally got a look at the hideous monster that was the goddess of darkness and choked on his own gasp of stunned horror. Her single eye narrowed. "Don't like what you see? You can thank your precious goddess of light for that." She smirked, adding, "Or, rather, _ex_ -goddess. This is my world now."

"N-no… n-nev… er…"

Her eye narrowed further. "Still resisting? We'll see how long that lasts." Her eye slowly widened, glowing scarlet as her snake hair flared out to their full extent with fangs bared. Pit stared open-mouthed as her crimson gaze bore into his face, framed by a hissing halo of deadly vipers. He gaped in mesmerized terror at the monster that had conquered Skyworld, unable to look away or even blink, even as her subordinates leered down at him from the edges of his vision. Then, a sudden flash of light burst out of her eye, and he slumped lifelessly like a rag doll.

"Pit!" Palutena cried out as she watched him fall. Tanatos loosened his coils, and, with a disgruntled frown, watched him crumple limply.

"Oh, don't worry. He'll live. For now," Medusa assured her. "He'll wish I hadn't spared him before long, though." She waved to her minions vaguely. "Take him away."

As the Underworld commanders started bickering amongst themselves as to who should do this, Medusa returned her attention to her hapless victim. "In the meantime, there are quite a few changes I have in store for this world. And I want you to have a front-row seat of the whole thing." She towered over her prisoner as she added, "But first of all, where were we? Oh, yes, the Three Sacred Treasures."

Medusa threw back her head and cackled as Palutena hung her head in defeat, and the last glimmer of hope flickered out as Skyworld fell into darkness.

* * *

 **A.N.:** Dun-dun-duuunnnn! Well, we all knew this was gonna happen, didn't we? But will things stay this bleak and hopeless? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out! (but you probably already know since you're here cuz you played the game so... I dunno).

I know that Pit is a much stronger character than this, but this is set 25 years before Uprising, so he's quite a bit younger and it's probably his first actual fight, and, honestly, if you've ever played the original NES game, he's pretty fragile until you level up a bit and get some decent power-ups. So I figured he wouldn't last long against Medusa at this point. It even mentions in the manual how quickly Skyworld falls to Medusa, so I do apologize for making him look like a wimp, but if you think about it, Kid Icarus is kind of an underdog story, coming up literally from the bottom and clawing your way to the top. He gets tougher, as we all know, so hopefully this wasn't too much of a stretch. :)

Also, I know that in the original game, Medusa had a _much_ different design, but I really don't like it and I feel that her new look is waayyy better and more scary and evil and stuff. If it really bugs you that much, just pretend I described her as a large, blonde, green-skinned monster with gland issues. Though I did keep her in her monstrous form, so hopefully that's a decent enough compromise. :)

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you all liked it. If you really liked it, I really like reviews, haha! Though I don't mind criticism, either. Gosh knows I could go back and fix a few things here and there.

Nora


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.:** Hi again! I couldn't just leave y'all hanging now, could I? Now we'll have to see what has become of everyone after the fall of Skyworld. It's looking pretty rough for everyone.

For the record, almost all of my research regarding these events came from the instruction manual of the 1986 NES game, which, of course, belongs to Nintendo, as do the characters and world of Kid Icarus. It isn't my intention to insert headcannons where they don't belong; I try to stay as true to canon as I possibly can. That's the goal, anyway. You can decide whether or not I've attained that.

Anyway, without further ado, let's press onward!

* * *

"Uhhhnnn…" Pit groaned as he slowly dragged himself out of the depths of unconsciousness. He hurt everywhere: his head was pounding, his feet were aching, his chest was throbbing, his wings were cramping; he even hurt in places he didn't know _could_ hurt. He coughed weakly around what felt like a layer of sandpaper lining his throat, burning with every shallow gulp of air, and lacing his mouth with the taste of blood.

"Wh-where am I…?" he mumbled as his eyes slowly cracked open. As his vision gradually cleared, he could make out his own body stretched out in front of him, looking down as if he were elevated above it. As he lifted his head, he could feel a dull pain in his shoulders as something was pulling his arms above his head. With a confused grunt, he followed his arms up the wall, all the way up to his wrists, which were shackled tightly to the stone wall with thick, iron clamps that pushed his wrist guards farther up his arms painfully.

He gasped in alarm at the sight, and as he tried to tug himself loose, they only dug in deeper. He tried shifting his feet to get some extra leverage, but as he did, he felt a sharp, digging sensation in his ankles. Glancing down at his feet, he could see that they, too, were just as tightly chained to the cold, stone floor, similarly forcing the leather bands around his lower legs upward where they pinched the skin behind his knees.

"What…?" Paling with dread, he wildly started looking around the unfamiliar room. It was a small, windowless room with stone walls and floors, with a few unoccupied chains and shackles bolted to them. It looked like the sort of dark, dingy cell one would see in a picture book, complete with a thick, wooden door with a small, iron barred window, through which he could only make out a similarly bleak hallway, barely illuminated by the dimmest, flickering light of a dying torch.

Wherever he was, it was clear he wasn't in Skyworld anymore.

"Wh-what? How? No… no!" In a fit of panicked denial, he frantically lashed out against the shackles, tugging against them as hard as he could. The iron dug into his flesh as he thrashed around, holding fast and mocking him with the sharp clatter of chain on stone. The harder he pulled, the more they bit in, and with one, final, useless heave, he fell back against the wall, coughing and choking through his agonizingly dry throat.

"Wh… what's going on?" he croaked in between ragged breaths. "Lady Palutena? Can you hear me? What's happening?"

However, instead of the familiar voice of the goddess of light, he was answered by a sudden, loud pounding on the door. "Hey, keep it down in there!" a deep voice boomed at him.

Pit jumped at the unfamiliar voice. That didn't sound like anyone he had ever heard before. "Huh? Who are you? What is this place? Where's Lady Palutena?"

The voice guffawed like a hoarse cough. A large, dull, green eye appeared in the door's window, peering in at him menacingly. "You're even dumber than you look, ain't ya?" the eye's owner sneered at him. "No wonder it was so easy to take over Skyworld!"

"What…?" Pit breathed as memories suddenly rushed back to him of the brutal conflict that had torn Skyworld apart right before his very eyes. "Th-that can't be…" It had all happened so fast. Had that nightmare really happened? There was no way the Underworld could have delivered such a crushing blow so decisively. But if the whole chained-to-the-wall-in-a-dungeon situation was any indication, not only had it actually happened, but it was still very much underway, and there was no sign of it letting up anytime soon.

"Hur-hur-hurr!" the guard laughed. "This is priceless! No wonder they kept you alive! And you're supposed to be the best they've got to offer? Haw! What a joke!"

The mocking laughter filled Pit with outraged indignation, and he lunged as far forward as he could against the shackles. "Hey! The only joke around here is you! Or, you would be if it – ngh! – weren't for these – agh! – stupid chains!" He tugged against the metal bonds, but they were still just as strong as before and remained firmly rooted in place. He flopped back against the wall, breathing heavily, and glared as fiercely as he could at the snickering face in the window.

"Hur-hur! Better cool down there, twerp! Or else I might have to report you to the Great Mistress Medusa!"

Pit's fiery expression melted into a confused but wary frown as dread suddenly pricked at his heart. "M-Medusa?"

"That's right, runt! Her illustrious excellence, the great and powerful goddess of darkness herself: ruler of Skyworld and, soon, the entire world!" The guard's voice rang with sadistic triumph as his rumbling laughter echoed throughout the dungeon.

Pit's heart plummeted like a lead weight. "What?! That's impossible!" he blurted incredulously. This had to be some kind of sick joke, right? "What about Lady Palutena? What did you do with her?!" he demanded in a near panic, straining against his bonds desperately.

"Heh. I wouldn't worry about her, if I were you," the guard returned smugly. "You should be more worried about your own hide right now. After all, the Underworld is no place for an angel."

Pit paled. "The Underworld?" That really wasn't good. Nothing lived in the Underworld except soulless monsters and creatures of darkness. Anything else… well, it wasn't called the realm of the dead for nothing. "And Lady Palutena?" he pressed, fearing the worst. "Is she…?"

"Hmph. The Great Mistress is dealing with her now. But don't worry, she hasn't forgotten about you, shrimp." The glossy eye twinkled sadistically. "I'm sure she'll come and pay you a visit once she's finished dealing with Miss Goody-Two-Shoes."

Pit squirmed uneasily, remembering how effortlessly she had dispatched him in Skyworld. "O-oh. She doesn't have to do that."

"Hur-hur-hur! Oh, I'm counting on it!" the guard jeered. "Just think of the fun she'll have with you! Maybe she'll feed you to Twinbellows! Or have the Hewdra tear you apart! Or she might pluck all your feathers off one by one and stuff you with them! And then turn you into a statue like all the others! Haw-haw! The possibilities are endless!"

"…Urk!" Pit shrank back reflexively as the guard roared with laughter. His wings quickly folded behind him at the thought that they might be so violently ripped from him. But he couldn't show weakness now; even as a captured prisoner, he was to uphold the title of captain, and represent his army and goddess as best he could, no matter how dire the circumstances. He leaned forward and forced his face into the bravest expression he could manage. "Y-you don't scare me!"

"Oh no? Well maybe this will: you're only alive right now because you're so low on the priority list Her Darkliness hasn't decided what to do with you yet. As soon as she finishes dealing with Palutena and Skyworld, you, like them, will be _finished_."

"That's… You won't…" He shook with anger and desperation, refusing to accept the guard's words but unable to counter them. His reeling mind only kept coming to the same conclusion of defeat, and, despite himself, he finally hung his head in helpless frustration. "N-no…"

"Haw! Them's the breaks, tiny! The golden age of light is officially over! So, if I were you, I'd just sit nice and quietly here in your cozy new home, and hope that the Great Mistress forgets all about you, just like everyone else has!" And with a final bout of booming laughter, the hideous eye disappeared from view, and Pit was left alone in the cell.

He sighed deeply, as he finally began to accept the gravity of the situation. He felt awful; not just because of the shackles digging into his skin, or his burning, raw throat, or the growing itch between his wings he couldn't reach, but there was something deeper that felt like a boulder in his stomach. The weight of uncertainty and dread tied his stomach into knots as a dozen different questions swirled around his mind, haunting him. How could this have happened? What was going to happen now? What would become of him? And, worst of all, what would happen to Palutena, and what was happening to her now? Was she safe? Was she even _alive_?

A sudden pang of guilt and shame clenched his stomach. He was supposed to be the captain of Palutena's army – the head of her personal guard – and yet he had been knocked around, tossed aside and thrown in the slammer like a sack of potatoes. His one job description was to protect her, and he hadn't even been able to do that. There was no telling what Medusa would do to her in her vengeful wrath. She could be imprisoned somewhere, or hurt, or… or worse! And there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

His wings drooped. Palutena had been the only person – goddess or otherwise – who had given him a chance, despite his… flight problem. She was one of the very few people he could readily call a friend. She had given him a home, a purpose, and hope when nobody else would give him so much as a second glance. In return, he had sworn his allegiance to her, to serve, fight, and even die for her should the need arise. But in his one chance to prove himself, even his best wasn't good enough, and Skyworld had fallen to the forces of darkness, leaving all of Angel Land at the mercy of the Underworld Army and Medusa, and at the forefront of that "mercy" was Palutena.

And the worst part was that he'd probably never see her again.

He shook his head in a frustrated combination of anger and grief. He couldn't just sit here and wait to die! There had to be a way out of this mess! But trapped as he was, imprisoned in a murky corner of the Underworld under lock and key, unable to even stand up, it was clear he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. If only there was something he could do to fight back, something that could turn things around, he wouldn't feel so darn useless, but as it was, things were looking pretty bleak right now for his potentially short-lived future.

 _If only…_

"… _P…it…"_

Pit's head snapped up at the faded whisper he could have sworn called his name. He hurriedly glanced around the room, but he was definitely alone. The voice had sounded familiar – it certainly wasn't the cruel, mocking laughter of the guard - but it was barely audible, hardly more than a breath on the back of his mind. Had he only imagined it? "…Hello?" he said cautiously, his voice low. He strained his ears against the darkness, not even daring to breathe lest he miss the muffled voice fluttering on the musty air. If it was even there in the first place, that is. He'd heard somewhere that hard time could do strange things to one's mind. He really hoped he wasn't going crazy already.

" _Pit… …an yo… …ear me…?"_

Pit's face suddenly broke forth into a sunrise of overwhelming joy. He'd recognize that voice anywhere; the soft, gentle cadence of the goddess of light was unmistakeable, faint and shaky as it was. _She's alive!_ The thought alone momentarily cast aside all memory of the conquering of Skyworld as he was overcome by an ecstasy of relief. "Lady Palutena! Are you okay? Can you hear me? Where are you? Please tell me you're alright!"

"Oh, shaddup!" The guard beat against the door violently. "Nobody can hear you but me! And if you don't cut out that racket, I'll rip your wings off myself!"

Pit winced at the sharp reminder of where he was. The air rang with the echo of the crash of the door, muffling the muttered grumblings of the annoyed guard outside.

"… _e's right… Keep yo… …oice dow…_ " the voice cautioned softly. It was slightly stronger, but only just barely. It nearly broke Pit's heart to hear Palutena's voice sound so… frail. It wasn't just the distance that muted her voice so, there was an unfamiliar breathlessness to it that spoke of exhaustion and weakness that she couldn't fully conceal. It was a far cry from the normally cheerful, confident, upbeat manner that she always spoke with in Skyworld. It sounded so wrong to hear her like that.

"Lady Palutena?" he started, keeping his own voice down to a hushed whisper. "Are you alright? I can barely hear you."

" _You should… …listen to yoursel…_ " She gently chided, with a touch of her usual teasing.

"Heh. Yeah, maybe," he said with a sheepish grin. His ravaged throat probably made him sound even worse than she did. Her voice was starting to come in clearer now, though it sounded a bit forced. Still, it was a relief to know that she still had her sense of humour in spite of everything. Medusa hadn't taken that from her, at least. "It's so good to hear from you, Lady Palutena. I thought maybe you were…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish that thought.

" _Pit, listen,_ " Palutena's voice suddenly took on a more urgent tone. " _I haven't… …uch time. I need yo… …elp…_ "

Pit stiffened, scarcely believing what he'd just heard. She needed his help? Even after he'd let her down in Skyworld? "What is it?" he asked, straining his ears so as not to miss a single word.

There was a brief pause, followed by her clearest words yet. " _You must defeat Medusa._ "

The words echoed in his head, reverberating like a gong. This was no mere request, it was a charge; a mission she was personally assigning to him, with no room for refusal. This was an order to confront and overthrow the entity that had effortlessly brought all of Angel Land to its knees. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he managed to say, "…Me?"

" _Yes. You. Her guard's down. …never see it coming._ "

"Oh. O…kay. I guess I could take a few dozen centurions, and-"

" _No. …enturions… …urned into stone. …ust you…"_

His mind was instantly drawn back to the petrified centurion staring speechlessly into space as Skyworld was torn to pieces. As he realized that all of his troops had met a similar fate (or worse, in the jaws of the dragon) it hit him that he really was all alone, faced with that final, terrifying memory of Medusa's attack. It was worse than his worst nightmare. Three horrific figures with six grinning faces leered down at him, each with eyes blazing with ruthless cruelty as they watched the life slowly drain from his face. Each one alone looked capable of chewing him up and spitting him out – literally and figuratively. And behind them, looming above them all like the shadow of a titan was the bleak silhouette of the goddess of darkness herself, standing tall and victorious amongst the ruins of his home, her snake-infested hair fanned out like a lion's mane around a hideous, glowing, scarlet eye. It bore into him, through him, rooting him to the spot with nothing more than a malicious, spiteful glare.

"You want me to… fight her? All by myself?"

"… _at's right. Piece of cake, right?_ "

He coughed a weak, slightly hysterical laugh. "Y-yeah, sure. Nothing to it," he said, trying to play along with her crazy joke. After all, she couldn't be serious, right?

" _Good. Now… …ay attention._ " She paused again, gathering her strength. " _Medusa… …aken over the Palace in the Sky… from there… …ommands the Underworld Army. She… …aken the Three Sacred Treasures… …iven them to her three commanders… …uard them with their lives. Each… …em rule over some part of the earth: Twinbellows… …oyal guard dog… …esumed his position… Gatekeeper of the Underworld; …three-headed dragon, Hewdra… …aying waste to the Overworld and… …ealm of men; …Pandora, goddess of calamity… …ains destruction down from… …eavens from… …ewly acquired position in Skyworld. You'll need to take them out… …ake back the Treasures… …tand up to Medusa. Un-_ " Her voice fell away into a few deep, laboured breaths. She was clearly struggling to maintain contact with him." _…nderstand?_ "

Pit did understand. Her words, though slightly broken up, had come through impressively clear, in spite of her weakened state. He was just having trouble believing it. Not only was Palutena serious, she had a plan, and that plan was for him to singlehandedly take on the Underworld Army and retake Angel Land from Medusa's clutches. He had wished for a chance to fight back and deliver justice to the Underworld baddies, but he had hoped he'd have something of an actual army supporting him. As dramatic and heroic as a one-angel stand sounded, the actual task Palutena had laid out for him was next to impossible. But there was no way he could refuse her; she was pushing herself just to speak to him.

He took a steadying breath. "I… I think so. But those guys creamed me last time! They completely destroyed everything! You don't actually think I stand a chance against those guys, do you?"

" _Why do yo… …ink I kept Medusa from killing you?_ "

His breath caught. She believed in him that much? "But what about you?" he blurted suddenly. "You'll help me, right?"

There was another heavy pause. It felt like a deep sigh. " _I… I can't. And… …unning out of time._ "

"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Where are you?"

" _I'm bei… …eld… …Temple of Light. Medusa… ...uppressed my power… …an barely… …_ " Her voice was trailing off quickly, diminishing into a breathless whisper.

Pit gasped. It was clear this conversation wasn't going to last much longer. "Wait! Come back! I'll do it, Lady Palutena! I'll fight off the Underworld Army! I'll defeat Medusa! I'll save Skyworld! Don't go!"

His outburst was met by a harsh, "I thought I told you to keep yer yap shut!" from the guard, followed by a painful silence. It stretched on for what seemed like hours, ticking away as he waited for some kind of response. Was he too late? Had she heard him? Then, just when he thought her power must have run out and he was alone again, he felt a warm, tingling sensation deep in his chest. It was barely noticeable at first, hardly more than a tickle, but it quickly spread throughout his body, taking away all the pain, all the soreness, all the aches and filling him with renewed strength. As it reached out along his arms and legs, the shackles shuddered, rumbling ominously for a few seconds before popping open in quick succession.

Finally able to move again, Pit gleefully rubbed his numb hands and feet, pulling his wrist and ankle guards back into place with a sigh of relief. Something caught his attention in the corner of his eye, and he glanced over and noticed a bow lying on the ground. Leaping to his feet, he dashed over to where it was and grabbed it off the floor. He examined it quickly, and while he was thrilled to finally have a weapon again, he was shocked at how flimsy it was. It was almost comparable to human construction in its craftsmanship, and not a strong human bow, either. A dim band of light appeared around his wrist as he held it, indicating it would give him unlimited ammunition, but if the quality of the bow was any indication, its arrows wouldn't exactly blow anyone away. He'd used training weapons that were stronger than this.

" _There. That's all… …an do now…_ " Palutena's voice returned wearily. It was still faint, but there was less urgency in it now.

"Wow, that was you? That was amazing!" He glanced down at his new weapon wistfully. "Though, it'd be nice if you could've gotten me something a bit stronger. Like maybe a cannon, or a tank or something?"

He heard something that sounded like an annoyed huff. " _I coul… …ut I'd …ave to lock you up again._ "

"Ah. I see." Pit laughed nervously. "I'll just stick with this, then, thanks."

" _I've also…_ _…iven you the power_ _…_ _…tand and fight again_ _… sh_ _ould you fall._ "

"Whoa, really? So I can just keep coming back again and again? That's awesome! Now I can't possibly lose!" Pit punched the air enthusiastically.

" _…_ _owever_ _…nly wor_ _…_ _…f your will t_ _…_ _…_ _eep goin_ _…_ _…tronger than their desir_ _…_ _…o kill you."_

 _"_ Ha! No worries there! There's no way I'm letting those creeps get the best of me again! I'll just keep coming back stronger every time! I'm practically unstoppable!"

" _Don't ge_ _…_ _…oo excited._ _…_ _ewinds time_ _…nd y_ _ou with it_ _…_ _…e_ _nding you back here_ _… t_ _aking awa_ _…_ _…_ _rogress you've made."_

"You mean I have to start all over again every single time? Aww, man!" So much for invincibility. He sighed grudgingly. "Okay… try not to die. Got it."

" _…"_

Pit could feel Palutena's presence steadily growing weaker. She had probably used the last bit of power she had left to help him, especially that last bit. Now it was up to him to carry out the task she had bestowed on him. He was still a bit overwhelmed by it all, but there was no way he was going to let her down this time, not when she was counting on him like this. Gripping the bow she had given him, he lifted his gaze upward in resolution. "Hang in there, Lady Palutena. I'll get the Sacred Treasures back and make it back to Skyworld in no time! Medusa won't know what hit her! I promise!" He paused momentarily, remembering the last time he'd made such a statement, before adding, "And I mean it this time."

" _I know… …nly hope… …ood luck, Pit…"_ Palutena's voice whispered faintly as her presence faded away.

Pit sighed as he was left on his own again. Except this time, his mission was clear. All that stood in his way was a vengeful goddess, her three trusted commanders, and an entire army of Underworld fiends. How hard could that possibly be?

He glanced at the thick door barring the entrance to the cell. First things first, he was going to have to break out of the dungeon he'd been locked up in, which meant getting past the guard. Of course, being armed now turned the tables in his favour. Cupping a hand to his mouth, he called out, "Ohhh noooo! If only I wasn't stuck here in the Underworld with such a STUPID and UGLY guard! And did I mention he SMELLS?"

"WHAT?" the guard bellowed. "That's it! Now you're gonna get it, you noisy little pipsqueak!" There was a clatter of keys and the door burst open to reveal a rather unintimidating looking nettler staring in at him with a single, wide eye in the center of its pink, blobby body. It gaped at the no longer chained up, fully armed angel with an arrow drawn and aimed directly at it. It managed to sputter out an incredulous, "What the-?!" before Pit let his arrow fly and permanently silenced it. As it disintegrated into dust, Pit couldn't help grinning in triumphant satisfaction. Maybe he could actually pull this off after all. He stepped through the open door, his bow rearmed, and cautiously looked over what lay beyond.

There was a short, stone hallway, with a set of platforms that led upward in a spiral, climbing up and up and up, sometimes doubling back on themselves, but always upward toward a point he couldn't see. There wasn't even a light at the top, it just continued onward into what looked like endless darkness, like a mineshaft, except upwards. The path was heavily guarded as well, as snakelike shemums slithered along the steps, and monoeyes and reapers patrolled back and forth on the upper levels.

Pit swallowed hard, wishing now more than ever that he could just fly past it all. His mission seemed so hopeless, with no end in sight. But so much was riding on him. All of Angel Land was threatened as long as Medusa cast her dark shadow over it. The humans scattered throughout the earth, the centurions of Skyworld, and even Palutena was in danger, and he was the only one who could put a stop to it all. For even though it looked as though there was no light at the end of the tunnel, there _was_ , and she was being held prisoner in her own palace and waiting for rescue.

Steeling himself for the long journey ahead, he stepped into the hallway, ready to take on whatever stood between him and Skyworld. There was nowhere to go but up, and he silently vowed he wouldn't rest until Medusa was vanquished, peace was restored, and Palutena was safe.

 _Okay. Here goes. Now, this would be so much better if I had some really heroic music playing. Something catchy and upbeat, but cool at the same time. Like a theme song! Yeah, something that makes you feel really determined and hopeful in spite of all the gloom and doom around here. That'd be really awesome,_ he mused to himself as he started the climb up of one of many platforms that made up the seemingly endless, winding, back-and-forth, ever onward and upward path toward the world above. It was obvious it was going to be a very long, frustrating trek before he would see daylight again, and every inch of headway he gained would have to be fought for. There were hardly any stairs at all, just random ledges stuck out of the walls, creating less of a path and more of an obstacle course of crumbling footholds and leaps of faith that slowly and steadily wound its way toward the surface.

He groaned aloud. "Great. A million freaky platforms, crawling with monsters. Who designed this place, anyway?"

* * *

 **A.N.:** Ta-da! And so the epic adventure begins! ...Quite frankly, I'm not too sure about that little monologue at the end there, but I figure the humour of the game needed to come through in the end. Let me know what you think in a review! I like reviews; they really make my day! :D

AS A SPECIAL NOTE: I'm planning on possibly doing an epilogue about the ending of the game. But I'm not too sure if I should, or if it would fit here, or if it would be better on its own if at all. So for those of you taking the time to read this (thank you, by the way) let me know what you think about such a venture, and whether I should go for it or now and how.

 **Edit** : I added a bit of dialogue to explain the video game mechanic of "unlimited extra lives", since Pit canonically admits to dying a bunch in the Underworld at one point in Uprising. Maybe it wasn't necessary, and it was just meant as a fourth-wall joke in the game, but it kinda bugged me that he was conscious of the whole "dying multiple times" thing. So I invented a reason for it. Hopefully it doesn't take too much away from the story.

Thanks so much for giving this a read, and have yourselves a lovely day!

Nora


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.** : Whew! Finally finished this one! Took a lot longer than I thought it would, sorry, all! But better late than never, right? …right? …yeah.

Anyhoo, sooo, this is actually more of an epilogue than a prologue, so I'm not 100% sure if this chapter should fit here or if it should be its own thing. I mean, it's still the same story, it's just… not really in line with the original premise of the story in general, in the sense that it's not part of the prelude to the game. Does that matter? I dunno, I'm not an English major or anything, haha. I'll leave it here for now, and if nobody has a problem with it, I'll probably just leave it as it is.

So if you feel there's a bit of a disconnect between the previous chapter and this one, it's because this has been written with the assumption that Pit has gone through all the levels, beaten all the bosses, gotten all the stuff, done all the things, and is now at the end. Just FYI.

Uhh, not much else to say here. Same disclaimer applies: Kid Icarus game, characters, and plot all belong to Nintendo, etc. etc. etc. Here goes! :)

* * *

Green lightning split the blackened heavens asunder as the battle between Pit and Medusa neared its climax. The Three Sacred Treasures shone with brilliant, golden light, illuminating the hero wielding them like a beacon of hope. The Pegasus Wings carried Pit aloft as the Mirror Shield warded off the petrifying effects of the enemy's hateful glare and Arrows of Light streaked across the sky, striking their target with deadly accuracy. Their target was, of course, the blood-red eye of the goddess of darkness herself, fully locked on him as he darted through the skies above the battlefield that was formerly his home. He skillfully wove through the air, despite it being his first real flight, narrowly dodging the bursts of darkness that she fired at him in an endless barrage.

She stood at the heart of Skworld, before the entrance to Palutena's Palace in the Sky, though she now looked even more terrifying than she had when he last saw her. She no longer seemed to have a body at all, but only consisted of a massive, grotesque, disembodied head wreathed with venom-spitting serpents that snapped at him if he flew in too close. Waves of darkness emanated from her, shrouding the once luminous realm of light in an oppressive veil of shadows.

Everything was riding on the outcome of this battle. It wasn't just his life on the line here: countless lives were counting on him to pierce through the shadow that loomed over Angel Land, including Palutena's. He'd realized this the moment he'd broken out of his cell in the Underworld, but this was where everything would finally culminate. He'd trekked the long and perilous path through the Underworld, across the Overworld realm of men, and finally into Skyworld itself. He'd defeated Medusa's highest-ranking officers and reclaimed the Treasures they had stolen. And now only Medusa herself remained between him and triumph. There was absolutely no backing down now.

"You impudent, little fool!" she hissed at him. "This world belongs to me now! Do you really think an insect like you can hope to stop me?"

"You bet!" Pit swooped around a marble pillar, firing off an arrow of light before ducking under a beam of dark energy. "I won't rest until light has filled Skyworld once again and peace has been restored! Your reign of terror is officially over, Medusa!"

The goddess sucked air in between her serrated teeth as the arrow sliced across her cheek. The pupil of her single, hideous eye narrowed to a vertical slit as she whirled on him menacingly. He grinned back triumphantly. "Oh, yeah! How does that Arrow of Light taste? That's how I - _yeow_!" His taunt was cut short as a serpent in her hair lashed out at him with its jaws open wide, driving him back as it snapped at his wing.

"The Sacred Treasures… You honestly think those will grant you victory? You're even more emptyheaded than you look," she spat at him. "Those glorified trinkets are nothing more than toys to the likes of me."

"You're wrong, Medusa!" Pit hovered before her, brandishing the Treasures heroically. "These treasures are proof that I've defeated the commanders you entrusted them to after you stole them, and now they're the very weapons I'll use to defeat you, too!"

"Ha… you may have taken out those lowlifes, but you'll find that I am not so easily disposed of." Another black shockwave raced toward him, and as he soared up and over it, he found himself in the middle of a barrage of green lightning attacks. He managed to deflect one with his shield but had to frantically dodge the others in a series of impressively skillful (or absurdly lucky) bobbing and weaving motions across the aerial battlefield to avoid being fried alive. "Palutena herself fell before me! You don't stand a chance, Sacred Treasures or not!" she boomed at him.

"We'll see about that! I'll send you straight back to the Underworld where you belong! Prepare to meet the light, Medusa!"

A guttural growl rumbled from her throat, but then shifted into a low snicker. She flashed him a maniacal grin that was not unlike that of a great white shark at a feeding frenzy. A surge of green lightning spread across her face and crackled along the serpentine bodies within her hair, shooting up into the blackened sky and highlighting the thick, black clouds a disturbingly jarring shade of lime.

"Whoa!" The change of the atmosphere took Pit by surprise, filling the air with an icy chill. He braced himself for a new attack, watching the sky for any sign of the evil lightning. He cautiously glanced between the electrified clouds and Medusa, whose sadistic gaze remained fixated on him.

Suddenly, the lightning reappeared, firing bolts of bright green electricity in all directions, and he barely had time to react before the sky was ablaze with the unnatural light. He frantically dodged the wild weather's attempts at frying him alive, suddenly realizing to his dismay a huge disadvantage to aerial combat: the complete lack of cover.

A bolt shot past his ear while another just missed his knee and a third one collided with the Mirror Shield and ricocheted off into space. But just when he thought he thought he might become Skyworld's most charred resident, the onslaught stopped, and the clouds returned to their inky black again.

He grinned triumphantly at the hideous eye. "Ha! Is that all you've got? Your darkness can't penetrate the light of justice, Medusa! It's time to end this!"

Instead of the thwarted scream he was expecting, a fiendish cackle filled the air. "You're right… it _is_ time to finish this. But it isn't me who's finished."

"Oh yeah?"

"I know what you're up to. You think you can just keep coming back again and again, don't you? That no matter how many times you fail, you can just try it again, isn't that right?"

The triumph slipped from Pit's face as uneasiness crept in at her ominous words. "Uhh… y-yeah. How do you know about that?"

"Oh, I'm fully aware of the cheating you've done in the name of 'justice'. I suspect that was Palutena's doing, wasn't it? But don't worry, I've officially put a stop to it."

"What are you talking about?" He shuddered as the chill in the air began seeping into his skin. If he didn't know better, he'd say it was doing so intentionally. What was going on?

"You might remember that it only works if your desire to keep going is stronger than my desire to kill you. And, believe me, _nothing_ is stronger that." A twisted smile spread across the enormous face. "But even without that little loophole, my little homecoming present will take care of you."

As if on cue, the clouds rippled with green energy, and then the wind suddenly whipped up into a frenzy, blowing the blackened clouds in a wide semicircle around the makeshift battlefield. Pit struggled to remain in a balanced hover as the gale swirled around him, buffeting him first from one direction and then another. The clouds wrapped around the palace in a thick spiral, faster and thicker with each passing second, until they formed an impenetrable, black wall on all sides.

The only light in the enclosed dome he now found himself in emanated from the Sacred Treasures he wore and from the gigantic, scarlet eye leering down at him menacingly. Its fiery glow flooded the area with a blood red tint that made it very almost impossible to tell the blackened marble of Skyworld from the shadows of the Underworld.

Pit stared in horror at the disturbing expression illuminated in the mockery of light, the unease he'd felt earlier now completely replaced with terror and dread. "Medusa?! What did you-?!"

"Didn't you notice that most of that attack wasn't even focused on you? I've closed this place off to everyone but us. That will keep Palutena from interfering with our battle." The insane and impossibly wide grin somehow spread even farther across her hideous face. "Not even your precious goddess can save you now. Without her meddling, once I take you down, you're going to stay down, Sacred Treasures or not. _Permanently_." Medusa's eye began to gleam harshly. "I'm going to destroy you, fair and square, without any of her foolish parlour tricks. Your foolish quest – and your worthless life – end here and now!"

The lightning that she fired from her eye _was_ aimed at him now, and it struck him hard in the chest, knocking him down and backwards. He screamed as his body spasmed uncontrollably and the icy, cold electricity flung him backwards. He could see more coming his way as he tumbled backwards, and in desperation, he rolled in midair and, with the howling wind filling his wings, he managed to just barely dodge a second attack and changed his fall into a somewhat controlled dive. Feeling the additional support of the Pegasus Wings tingling along his own wings, he launched himself forward with a sudden burst of speed from them and was able to swoop back upward in a tight spin, narrowly avoiding the electrical attacks that raced past him.

Keeping his momentum up, he leveled off and wove in between the lightning barrage, undertaking a more defensive strategy now that Medusa had just raised the stakes a few dozen notches. Even though he'd gotten significantly stronger since the last time he saw Medusa, much of that had been because of Palutena's gift.

This had been especially true in the Underworld, where he'd been at his weakest, but even as he'd grown stronger and made fewer mistakes, it was reassuring to know that there was a safety net if he needed it. Not that dying was an experience he'd wanted to make a habit of, but it was a relief to know that something as simple as a slip or a misjudged jump wouldn't be enough to terminate his mission and leave the world to despair under Medusa's cruel reign forever.

But now that safety net was gone. The training wheels were off, and every move mattered infinitely more now. This was entirely between him and Medusa now, with no second chances; one wrong move and it would be all over – for everyone.

And yet he'd come to this final battle already knowing this in his heart. He'd been prepared for a one-on-one showdown with the goddess of darkness with no room for mistakes. As he'd gotten closer and to Skyworld, the sky had been growing steadily darker and darker, and he'd come to the sobering realization that Medusa's darkness was slowly smothering Palutena's light. It wouldn't be long before she wouldn't be able to help him anymore, and it would all be down to him and Medusa, and there would be no turning back. That time, it turned out, was now.

Still, this was the goddess of darkness herself, the source and culmination of all the evil he'd faced up until now. This would be far more dangerous than anything that had come before. Could he really do this in one go without getting himself killed by her furious wrath?

As he swerved past a bolt of green lightning, swooping low to get out of its range, he noticed a large breach in the palace wall that looked like someone had thrown a wrecking ball filled with dynamite at it. Through it, he could see piles of rubble scattered around the small room beyond, filling up a round, bowl-shaped impression in the floor. The room was completely trashed; even without the chunks of wall tossed around the room, there were massive cracks in the floor and pieces of smashed light fixtures sprinkled everywhere. And even though it was hard to see through the oppressive blackness, glints of golden water sparkled faintly at him from under the rubble pile, as if it were the room's final, weak plea for help.

He gasped, immediately recognizing the ruinous room. "Nooo! Not the hot spring!" He clenched his teeth and glared up at the monster above him with rekindled determination. "That does it." This was one step too far. She was going _down_.

Finally, the hectic attack ended, and he soared back up to face Medusa with every bit of resolve he had. "You think that after everything you've done that's gonna stop me? Think again! I won't need a second chance to take you down! The world has suffered long enough under your darkness! The Overworld, the humans, Skyworld, Lady Palutena…" He drew an Arrow of Light with all his strength. "This is for all of them!"

He charged forward, firing off a series of arrows at the enemy. They struck their mark, and the serpents in her hair briefly recoiled as she winced from the blows, before suddenly lunging forward in a furious counter attack. "RRRAH! YOU INSIGNIFICANT, LITTLE WEAKLING! I WILL END YOU!" she screeched resuming her assault on the angel within renewed fury in the beams of dark energy that she shot out of her eye.

"Aaah!" He barely dodged one, then cried out as one grazed his side. He staggered in the air, but before he could regain his balance, a pulse of darkness swept across the sky and slammed into him, knocking him back. It was a much stronger blow than the lightning had been, and a recovery wouldn't be nearly as graceful as his last had been.

He had a brief sense of déjà vu as he was flung through the air, toward one of the few pillars that still stood in Skyworld. Not willing to have a repeat of the crippling impact that had happened last time Medusa had tossed him back like that – especially now that one wrong move would spell a permanent game over for him - he twisted around, managing to line up the Mirror Shield with the pillar as he slammed into it. The shield saved him from breaking anything, but crashing into a solid, marble pillar wasn't exactly the smoothest of landings, and it briefly knocked the wind out of him.

The power of the Pegasus Wings caught him from falling even further, and he hovered briefly, leaning against the pillar to regain his bearings and his breath. Suddenly, there was motion in the corner of his eye, and he turned just in time to see a snake angrily streaking out of Medusa's wild hair toward him. Except this one was much larger than the others, and had pale, green scales rather than the midnight black of the others. Most striking of all, though, was its unblinking gaze that somehow remained lifeless and dull in spite of the murderous intent glaring out at him.

He'd recognize that blank stare anywhere: the snake that had nearly strangled him when Medusa overthrew Skyworld had grinned at him with those same, dead eyes. Tanatos, Medusa had called it. He quickly leaped off the pillar out of the snake's way with a yelp as it careened past, narrowly avoiding its razor-sharp fangs. There was a bone-chilling _snap!_ of Tanatos' jaws clamping together, followed by a half-growled, half hissed, "Nrrgh! Not ssso fassst!" Without slowing down, it wrapped itself around the pillar and, keeping the momentum of its dive, launched itself with surprising speed toward Pit.

"Whoa!" Pit barely had time to put up his shield as the snake barrelled into him. The force of the impact drove him backwards and down through the air as he tried to press back against the dead-eyed reptile. He was surprised how much strength a snake could have in the air; didn't they have to slither around on the ground everywhere? Tanatos' advance didn't seem to be losing momentum at all, and as the marble floor rushed toward him, he heaved his shield sideways, flinging off his attacker into a nearby pile of rubble near the cloud wall.

As he caught himself from slamming into the ground himself, he barely had time to catch his breath again before Medusa fired another barrage of green lightning at him. He frantically zigzagged between them, managing to avoid a direct hit, but wincing as he felt the cold burn of a few bolts that got way too close for comfort crackle along his wings. He darted back and forth, watching for a chance to launch a counterattack, when the green snake dove at him again. With a panicked cry, he just barely avoided him, then watched as Tanatos hit the ground running (slithering?) and shot up to the platform where Medusa's head was seated.

"Whoa! It's fast!" he blurted incredulously. "What's with that thing?"

"' _Thing_ '?!" Tanatos repeated indignantly, sticking out a forked tongue as he lined himself up for another attack. "The nerve of you!"

Medusa cackled. "Disgraceful, isn't it, Tanatos? You'd think an angel of all things would recognize the god of death when he saw him."

Pit frowned. Now that she mentioned it, the name _did_ sound familiar. "God of death…?" Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "Wait, you're _that_ Tanatos?"

"Of courssse! Who elssse?" Tanatos bared his fangs menacingly. "You were exxxpecting Tanatosss the iccce cream man?" he shot back before springing into the battlefield again, venom-tipped fangs glinting in a flash of lightning.

Pit quickly dodged his strike again, then beat his wings furiously to quickly climb back into the air. Now he wished more than ever that he still had another chance at this final battle. It was nearly impossible to gain any altitude as Medusa continued to rain attacks down at him and Tanatos pounced at him repeatedly from every side, each time faster than the last. "H-hey! Two against one? What gives?" he shouted, deflecting a beam of darkness with his shield.

"Heh-heh… What's wrong? Too much for the little _hero_?"

Pit grit his teeth and shot upward into the fray. She'd meant it as a cruel jest, but he was determined to prove her mockery wrong. He _would_ put an end to this, he _would_ save everyone, and he _would_ be the hero that would bring peace back to Angel Land. He'd promised. He wouldn't let Palutena down again.

Suddenly, his grimace shifted into a grin. There was just one thing he had to do before he could truly claim the title Medusa taunted him with, something he'd always wanted to do. And now was his time to shine.

As Tanatos sailed toward him again, he whirled in midair and fired an Arrow of Light into his gaping jaws. With an unexpectedly high-pitched howl of pain, Tanatos tumbled to the ground, writhing in agony all the way. By this point, Pit was now level with Medusa, and their eyes locked: blue determination against crimson hatred.

"Hear me, Medusa! I am Pit, servant of the goddess of light, and wielder of the Three Sacred Treasures! And I'm here to put a stop to all those who oppose justice and peace! Remember this well: those who dwell in darkness will be made to see the light! And in the name of that light, I _will_ defeat you! You're finished, Medusa!" He was practically beaming at this point; everyone knew any hero worth their salt always saved the day with a dramatic speech. He'd waited forever for this moment, and it felt even better than he could've imagined. _I guess_ _all that practice along the way paid off after all!_

With an enraged scream, Medusa launched everything she had at the angel. With an Arrow of Light at the ready, Pit surged head-on into her attack, daringly weaving through the onslaught of her final barrage. Deflecting and maneuvering the rage-fueled beams of dark energy, he fired his arrow at one that came flying at him head on. It exploded in a burst of sparks of smoke, and as he passed through it, the debris stinging his cheeks, he drew one final Arrow of Light. He emerged directly before the fiendish eye and, calling on every bit of strength and courage he could muster, he let it fly, striking Medusa's eye at point blank range.

Her head reeled back, and she let out an agonized screech that tore across the heavens like a thunderclap, the snakes in her hair shrieking along with their host. The deafening sound pushed Pit backwards a bit, and he raised his shield just in case Medusa had one last trick up her sleeve.

"Gaah! No! H-how?!" she spluttered desperately. The entire area around her shook violently as she flailed in agony. The air itself seemed unstable, the wind tearing apart the wall of clouds around them as her dark clutches on the world finally started slipping. Lightning flashed in every direction, and rippling shockwaves pulsed viciously across the sky. Everything in sight seemed to be tearing apart at the seams at the goddess' death throes. If Pit didn't know better, he'd swear the world was ending.

" _ **You…!**_ " Her gaze returned to him, somehow holding infinitely more wrath and malice than before. Her skin, already an ashy grey, was turning pale and chalky, with an almost stone-like, gritty texture. Fissures were beginning to run across her face as it, too, appeared to be crumbling before him. Even her voice was gravelly and raw, clawing out of her throat like a wolverine, held together only by the hatred she so firmly held onto.

"This… isn't… over…!" Her eye was beginning to cloud over with the dusty texture that was rapidly engulfing her, but her expression didn't falter. A latticework of cracks started to form everywhere the texture spread as Medusa uttered her final threat. "I'll… be… back! Palutena… Pit… _Re…venge…!_ HRK!" Her face froze in a hideous snarl as she completely solidified into a lifeless statue. By now, there were so many cracks in the cold, dead surface, that it was hard to even see anything that resembled a face at all, and after a heartbeat of silence, the statue dissolved into dust and was swept away by a final, conveniently timed gust of wind.

For a moment, Pit thought he caught a glimpse of a womanly figure in the middle of the crumbling statue, tiny in comparison to the enormous disembodied head that was now disintegrating around her. She was throwing her hands up in anguish, grasping for something that was not there, and then she limply collapsed into the dust as the last of it drifted away.

Before he could ponder whether or not he had simply imagined the sobering image, something else now stood in the same spot. It appeared to be an oddly shaped pole of sorts, mystically hovering before the now cleared entrance to the Sky Palace. Its shape was immediately recognizable: tall and thin with two symmetrical golden arches, elegantly crafted, and holding in place above them an azure orb that seemed to be levitating a few inches from the socket. He immediately recognized it as Palutena's, but aside from the fact that it was floating by itself in midair, it simply looked like an elegant, but otherwise normal staff, and not the accessory of choice for the goddess of light. Just as he thought this, though, the blue orb at its top began to weakly flicker to life, before sputtering briefly and then vanishing in a final flash of light.

Pit gasped. He'd never seen the staff without Palutena, and to see it alone without its normal, cheerful glow and then to see it suddenly disappear was disturbingly unsettling. "H-hey! Wait!" he called after it and swooped down to the entrance level below.

With evil now vanquished, the glow of the Sacred Treasures dimmed to a soft, ambient glow. The Pegasus Wings powered down as well, dropping Pit off at the spot Medusa had stood only a few seconds before. Not wasting a moment, he took off at a sprint down the hallway beyond, ignoring his fatigue and any injuries he'd gotten in the battle. The long, gloomy hall stretched on seemingly forever, towards a closed off chamber at the far end that seemed as chillingly lifeless and empty as the rest of Skyworld.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…" he frantically chanted under his breath as a desperate plea against hope. A sickening dread began building in his stomach. What if he was too late? Could Medusa have already exacted her final revenge before he'd gotten here? Could he have come all this way for nothing?

He pressed forward with increased urgency. If Palutena was hurt in any way, he'd never forgive himself.

Suddenly, the door at the end of the hall opened, and light spilled out into the corridor. With a surprised shout, Pit had to skid to an abrupt halt, reflexively protecting his eyes with the Mirror Shield. This was the first real light he had seen for days, for even the rays of the sun had been blocked out by Medusa's thick clouds. He'd been so used to fending off darkness that coming into the light nearly blinded him. Dazzlingly bright and warm, it filled the hall with its golden touch, immediately banishing the last of the shadows that tainted the Sky Palace.

For a second, Pit thought that he, too, might be blown away by its intensity, the brightness searing through his eyelids like a red-hot coal despite the shield's efforts to block it. But then, just as he thought he couldn't take it anymore, the brilliant light dimmed to a much gentler glow. He slowly lowered his arm, squinting blearily around him. The soft touch of the light bathed the entire hallway, transforming the cold, lifeless stone into elegant, marble tile and wrapping everything in its familiar embrace of radiant warmth. As he stood in breathless awe at it all, a warm and familiar voice emanated from the chamber.

"Pit."

In the center of the room, with the radiant symbol of light shining from behind her, stood the goddess of light herself. Long, shimmering locks of emerald hair flowed like a cape down her back, nearly as far down as the ankle-long skirt of the white gown she wore. She showed no obvious sign of injury, aside from being slightly paler than usual, standing as straight and tall as ever, smiling down at the battle-weary angel with gratitude shining in her jade eyes.

"Lady Palutena." Relief flooded through Pit like a monsoon, sweeping away the foreboding dread that had clung to the back of his mind. He'd feared she might have been horribly injured by the Underworld Army, or Medusa might have turned her into a grotesque monster beyond recognition and he'd never see the smiling face of his best friend again. However, seeing her well and unharmed after everything he'd been through banished all those thoughts in an instant.

A weak laugh forced its way out of his lungs, and he was suddenly acutely aware just how sore and exhausted he was. He staggered forward into the chamber and then collapsed into a bow on one knee, trying not to show how much his muscles were trembling. "I'm so glad… you're safe," he huffed shakily. "I… I thought I might never see you again."

Palutena's smile softened. "It's good to see you, too, Pit. Welcome home."

He raised his head, meeting her gaze cheerily. "It's good to be back, Lady Palutena." He glanced around the little room briefly, noticing how small and empty it was, with nothing more than a pile of destroyed furniture in the corner and shreds of what used to be curtains scattered across the floor. There was a wide gash torn through one of the walls that had been barred over with thick, black tendrils through which was a clear view of the ruins of Skyworld, with crumbling pillars and petrified centurions scattered everywhere.

His wings drooped at the sight. She'd spent all this time trapped in here? Strictly speaking, it was a step up from where he'd been locked up (though, admittedly, not by much) but she would've been constantly surrounded by the complete devastation of her home while completely helpless to stop any of it. He sighed heavily. "It's a bit of a fixer-upper right now, though, isn't it?"

Her smile fell briefly as she followed his gaze, and for a moment the telltale shadow of exhaustion passed over her eyes. "Medusa wanted to destroy everything about this place. That was her plan; to have me watch her bring everything I cared about to ruin." Her expression lifted again as she turned back to Pit. "But I don't think she counted on you."

Pit grinned, pushing himself to his feet. "You got that right! Medusa and the Underworld Army are history!" he proclaimed, posing dramatically. He thrust his hand forward with two fingers raised in a "V". "Skyworld: one! Underworld: nothing! Total victory!"

"You've done well, Pit." Palutena smiled at the beaming angel. "And the Sacred Treasures suit you."

"Haha, yeah!" Pit showed off the gleaming relics proudly. "These things are amazing! Medusa barely knew what hit her! Hey, maybe they should become part of our official uniform. Nobody would ever mess with Skyworld again if we had the Sacred Treasures with us!"

"I'm afraid that's not how they work, Pit," Palutena explained gently. "They can only be used in the most dire of situations, when things are at their bleakest. That's why you aren't flying anymore."

Pit glanced at his wings wistfully. "…Oh. Right. I was kinda wondering about that." _So much for being able to fly on my own,_ he added silently.

"And they can only be used by heroes who have overcome impossible odds in the name of justice." She smiled warmly as his face lit up again. "So, while they can't be used on a regular basis, I think it's a good idea to keep them safely stored away in case of an emergency." She closed her eyes and extended her hand forward, her palm facing downward. A ball of light started to form in her hand, and in a flash of light her staff appeared, the blue orb at its end still flickering weakly. "So, in that case, I'll just- _aah_!"

The moment her fingers wrapped around the slim, blue shaft, a harsh blast of green light burst out of it, throwing her hand back. Pit barely even have time to gasp in alarm before he was completely engulfed by it. It wasn't at all like Palutena's light, which had warmed him with its rejuvenating glow, but it burned everywhere, wrapping him in searing pain that numbed every part of him. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over, and he shakily staggered backwards as the Sacred Treasures clattered to the ground around him.

Palutena clenched her staff as the unfamiliar energy suddenly vanished and it immediately powered down, suppressing any further unexpected surprises. She herself was unharmed, but she stared in disbelief at the other occupant of the room. "Uhh, Pit…?" she called to him cautiously.

"Oww…" Pit groaned as his vision cleared. He wasn't hurt, but he felt… _weird_. He was dizzy, and he tingled everywhere. He shook his head and almost fell over, then quickly shifted his attention to Palutena. "Daydy Paduteda, are you-"

He stopped mid sentence as he realized that maybe she wasn't the one he should be worried about right now. "Wait… Izzat by _voice_ …?" he asked in an uncharacteristically nasal drawl. He glanced back at Palutena, eyes wide with alarm. She was perfectly fine, but at the bottom of his vision was a large, skin coloured… thing. It moved with his vision as he moved his head. It couldn't be… was that his _nose_?! He tried to reach out and touch it, but his arms didn't seem to be working. His legs didn't seem very stable, either, now that he thought about it, and he couldn't feel his wings at all. He looked back at Palutena, who just stared right back, the colour draining from his face as she looked like she was trying very hard to suppress laughter. "What… happ'ed to be? What's goi'g od?""

Palutena covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to maintain her composure. "Oh… Pit," she said, her voice trembling with mirth. "D-don't look now, but I think you've got… a new look." She cleared her throat as professionally as she could. "Unfortunately, since the Underworld Army has been defeated, I don't think the Specknose style is in fashion anymore."

"De _WHAT_ styde?! Wh-whooaa!" Panicking, he swung his head around to get a look at himself. However, with his head now making up about 90% of his body, and about 90% of that now consisting of an oversized olfactory organ, the sudden motion knocked him off his feet (provided he even _had_ feet anymore) and he toppled over sideways. He tried to right himself, but his arms, legs and wings didn't seem to exist anymore, and flailing what little he had left only caused him to roll helplessly around on the floor. "Aaah! Hey! What's happedi'g?! He'p!"

The spectacle of what amounted to little more than a large, disembodied head that resembled a caricature of the captain of her guard if he'd had an extreme allergic reaction to a bee stinging his nose and was now rolling around the floor like a baby panda was too much for Palutena, and, despite her best efforts, she burst into uncontrollable laughter. It was her first real laugh since the Underworld invasion, and she soon found herself gasping in between giggles, using her staff to hold herself upright with one hand while she hugged her ribs with the other.

The angel-turned-specknose let out a groan of embarrassed humiliation. While it was wonderful to hear the goddess laughing after all that she'd been through, he really wished it wasn't at his expense. "Hey! C'bod! How cad you daugh at a tibe dike dis?" he cried nasally. This was crazy! By some cruel twist of fate, he'd been transformed into an Underworld monster! One of the uglier ones, at that! And to make matters worse, his inability to fly had also been carried over into this new form, which was the only means the monsters had of getting anywhere at all. They didn't even have legs! How could monsters like this even exist in the first place? Who designed these things? "This is worse dad bei'g ad eggpdadt!"

Taking a few deep, controlled breaths and coughing politely, Palutena stood upright again. "Ahem. S-sorry about that, Pit. I guess Medusa had one last trick up her sleeve after all. I should've suspected she would have tampered with my staff while she had it." She examined at the staff in question thoughtfully. "It looks like she infused it with a curse of her own design. It was probably meant for me, but it must've been attracted to the Sacred Treasures. I think it's run its course now." She tapped the blue sphere at the end of the staff and it obediently lit up, resuming its normal, cheery glow. She smiled in satisfaction then glanced down at Pit. "You're lucky you still have your mind intact. The Treasures probably protected you from turning you into a complete monster."

Pit grunted as he bumped into the Mirror Shield. "Wedd, I guess dat's a redeif. Add I ab gdad you wered't affected by it." He sighed and looked pleadingly up at her. "But you cad fix dis, right? I bead, I cad't stay dike dis! You gotta he'p be!"

"Hmmm…" Palutena hummed pensively. "I don't know. Reverting the curse of another goddess is no easy task." She sighed heavily. "And I'm not really at my strongest right now, what with the Underworld occupation and everything."

Pit's heart sank. "Oh doh... you bead I'b godda be dike dis forever?"

"Well… there might be one way…"

"Readdy?!"

"It's a bit risky, though."

"Det's try it, pdease! What is it?"

She locked eyes with him. "The Judgement of Heroes."

Pit blinked. "The 'Judgebedt of Heroes'?" He'd never heard about anything like that before. "How duzzat work?"

"It reflects the nature of your heart, allowing the whole world to see who you really are," she explained.

"Uhh… I… do't t'ink I'b foddowi'g you."

"Well, defeating Medusa was certainly no small feat. I'd even go so far as to say it was heroic. But, as you know, heroes are judged by their deeds as well as their accomplishments. And some of those deeds are more noble than others. You may have completed the task you set out to do, but everything you did along the way is equally as important as the final outcome."

"Wha… Seriousdy?" Pit's confused expression fell into one of concern as Palutena explained the fine print of heroism to him. Nobody told him he'd be judged on this! He didn't even get a chance to study! Wasn't slaying the goddess of darkness and liberating Skyworld from her fiendish clutches enough? He almost groaned in desperation. "Cad't you just… take by word for it?"

"I'm afraid that's not how it works," she replied gently. "In order to find out your true worth, your heart must be laid bare before the Judgement of Heroes, which will weigh your cause against your actions." She tilted head slightly questioningly. "What do your actions say about yourself? Do you truly live up to what you claim to be?"

"Uhh… I… t'ink so?"

"If so, then your appearance will change to match." Her gaze suddenly fell. "Medusa took the test, you know. Not even gods are exempt from the truths it finds. And now everyone can see what truly lies within her heart."

"Bedusa?!" Pit blurted incredulously. Why in the world would that monster take the Judgement of Heroes? "You bead she got the Judgebedt of Ebil Bodsters, right?"

"I told her what she was doing was cruel and wrong, and she refused to listen. I warned her many times of the consequences of her actions, and she continued to ignore me. So, I presented her with the test, which would undeniably prove whether or not her treatment of humans was just. You've seen yourself what the result was."

Pit paled. _That_ was the power of the Judgement of Heroes? A draft from the opening in the wall blew gently across his face, and he briefly envisioned himself with snakes wriggling in his hair, and dry, scaly wings that were ragged and torn. He shuddered. That was _not_ something he had signed on for! "Uhh, I'b dot so sure about dis."

Palutena raised an eyebrow challengingly. "What's wrong? I thought you didn't want to be a monster anymore. This is the only thing that can overpower her curse."

"Yeah, but, I do't wadda edd up dike Bedusa…"

"Don't you think your deeds were heroic, Pit?"

"Er… O-of course I do!" _Although maybe I shouldn't have threatened that storekeeper that one time. Or said all that nasty stuff about that guy that threw the monoliths at me and called me a weakling. And maybe I spent a little bit too long in the hot springs in the fortresses. Does it matter that I died as many times as I did? And what about…_

"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about." She flashed him a quick smile and lifted her staff above her head. "Now, Pit, angel of Skyworld and wielder of the Three Sacred Treasures, let the Judgement of Heroes bring your heart into the light!"

"Ah! H-hey, wait-!" Pit's protest was drowned out by yet another surge of overwhelming light. This one, while not harsh like the previous one had been, was just as intense. As it enveloped him in its glow, he suddenly felt incredibly dizzy, as if he was moving in every direction at once and yet not at all. He felt numb and tingly again, and even though it didn't hurt, it stole his breath away as it swirled around him.

Events played out all around him: from the moment he'd stepped out of his cell in the Underworld to when he'd delivered the final blow to Medusa. He immediately felt self-conscious as he could feel someone or something watching it all with him, silently judging every little thing he'd done while on his mission. It was an impartial presence, emotionless and cold, as if someone was simply ticking off a checklist with each new played out memory. Every single monster he'd killed, every time they'd killed him or when he'd simply slipped and fallen, every victory, every defeat, and everything in between was on display for whoever or whatever this other presence was.

 _Is that you, Lady Palutena?_ he silently called out to her. It didn't feel like her, but she was the one in charge of this, after all. She might be overseeing this at any rate. Part of him hoped she was; maybe she could put in a good word for him, seeing as how he'd saved her and all. On the other hand, there had been some points along the way that he wasn't exactly proud of, and, really, she didn't need to see. At all. Regardless, there was no answer as the test continued unhindered.

It was a bit of an eye-opener to himself, too. He found himself grinning as he watched himself take down Medusa's commanders (even if they had taken a few tries), then cringing the next moment as his bartering attempts with an unimpressed and likely underpaid storekeeper ended up with him having to pay double for the items he'd asked for a discount on. He smiled as he could feel the heat from the recreated memory of the hot springs he'd found along the way and frowned as he relived entering what he thought was a treasure room but turned out to be a nest of monsters.

He froze in embarrassed horror as he listened to himself play out how he'd envisioned himself heroically slaying the goddess of darkness, rehearsing different versions of speeches he might say at the climax as he'd wandered around aimlessly in the fortress Pandora had built for herself in Skyworld. He'd gotten so caught up in it (should he or shouldn't he use the word "smite"?) he didn't notice the eggplant wizard in the room ahead of him until it was too late. It, of course, had noticed him and with a wave of its wand, did what eggplant wizards do best to distracted angels. As he was searching for someone who could un-eggplant him, he accidentally stumbled into a room full of miks, who consisted of nothing more than drooling, disembodied mouths with an eternally unsatisfied hunger and a strangely acquired taste for eggplant. To say the least, that was not one of his finest moments.

 _Please don't tell Lady Palutena about that_ , he silently pleased to the nameless essence of the Judgement of Heroes as his own terrified scream rang in his ears. _She'll never let me live that down_.

As the review of his quest came to a close, he felt a strange rustling within him that began swelling rapidly, its intensity competing with that of the brilliant light around him. Suddenly it seemed to explode outwards, and the hundreds of hearts he had collected from the monsters he'd slain swirled around him like a tornado. He could feel something emanating from them all, surrounding him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He just suddenly felt… happy. It almost felt as though each and every one was thanking him for defeating Medusa. They giddily danced around him, faster and faster, before suddenly soaring upwards and out of sight. All this excitement was followed by a heavy, silent pause.

 _Ooo… kay… I have no idea what's going on anymore. Is it over? Can I please be an angel again now?_

As if in response to his silent complaint, there was one final flash of light and he was abruptly knocked forward by some unknown force. He gasped as he could finally breathe again and stumbled forward shakily. Catching himself and reeling his arms for balance, he steadied himself and heaved a sigh of relief. "Hah… that was… weird."

"So how did it go?" Palutena looked down at him curiously. "Do you feel any different? More angelic, maybe?"

"Oh!" Pit quickly over himself, immensely relieved to see that all his limbs – wings included – were back in their proper places exactly the way they were supposed to be. He waved his arms and shook his legs out, just to make sure they were working properly. "Alright! It worked! I'm me again!"

The goddess of light smiled at him. "Congratulations, Pit. It looks like you passed."

"Ha ha! Yes!" He jumped up, flapping his wings happily. He glanced back at them in disappointment when they didn't keep him airborne. "Aw man…"

Palutena's smile turned slightly apologetic. "It only changes your appearance, not your abilities. I'm afraid you're still grounded."

"Yeah, yeah," Pit muttered dejectedly. Then he looked quickly looked around and realized something was missing. "Hey! The Sacred Treasures! Where'd they-?"

"Don't worry. They're here." She gestured to a rectangular case resting beside her. "I couldn't just leave them where you dropped them, now could I?"

Pit laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, they kinda fell off of me, so…" He paused as his fingers brushed against something metal in his hair. "Huh? What's this?" It was an unfamiliar, textured object that was snugly wrapped around the back of his head. Carefully pulling it off (and wincing as it took a few hairs with it), he stared it in puzzled wonder.

It was a delicate, round headpiece with an elaborate yet simple design. Golden leaves were symmetrically laid out along a smooth, slender shaft, with a pattern of veins subtely carved into each one. It glistened cheerfully in the light as he turned it over in its hands. Something else caught the light at the same time, and he noticed golden bands around his wrist guards that he had never seen before. Looking down at his toga, he could see other additions to his outfit: the gleaming, white fabric was entirely new with a red hem that was embroidered with golden thread that wove an elegant pattern all around it. There was also a red brooch on his shoulder pinning the toga together while also wrapping the excess material around his neck like a scarf.

"Hey, where'd all this come from?" he wondered aloud.

"By the looks of your new uniform, I'd say you not only passed, but you got a promotion, too." Palutena pointed at the headpiece in his hands. "That's a laurel crown, a symbol of courage and strength. Those are exclusively reserved for champions and renowned heroes."

He stared up at her in disbelief. "Really?" At her nod, he looked back down at the symbol of prestige in his hands with a mixture of glee and reverence. "Wow…" He gingerly placed it back on his head, and its moulded shape fit perfectly, like a tailored glove. "How's it look? Am I putting it on right?" He grinned as he fiddled with it, carefully positioning it just above his ears. "There. That should do it." He struck a regal pose. "A 'renowned hero', huh? I could get used to that."

"Of course, most heroes don't usually say 'I'm finished!' all the time."

The angel's smug grin slipped. "What? How do you know about that?"

"My power was what brought you back, remember? I know exactly how often you died."

"Hmph." His face fell into a petulant scowl. "It wasn't _that_ often. And I got better at it as I went along. I hardly died at all once I got out of the Underworld. And it wasn't like I was trying t-"

He froze mid-rant as a soft set of lips was suddenly being pressed against his cheek. They were gentle and warm, with hardly any force behind them, but his skin tingled and burned beneath them. He didn't dare to breathe as the moment, brief as it was, seemed to stretch on for ages. His mind reeled in a dizzy panic, while his heart pounded in a sudden surge of wild ecstasy. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, but he was pretty sure it was really, really good.

And then, in a heartbeat, they pulled back, and he could feel Palutena's soft breath tickling his ear as she gently whispered, "I know. Thank you, Pit."

"Oh… heh. Y-yeah. Sure." Pit's face slowly turned crimson as a goofy smile spread across his face. He tried to think of something else to say, but his brain had completely abandoned any form of cognitive thought beyond _Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!_ and _She kissed me!_

Palutena couldn't fully conceal a giggle, but quickly regained her composure and lifted her staff high. It sprang to life with a blinding flash, then shot rays of light in every direction. The long, dark tendrils that stretched across the window shrivelled and crumbled to dust from the piercing rays. Then the rays of light turned upward, into the ceiling, and forced back the shadows that still clung there, revealing curved window frames that made up the domed roof of the room. The windows themselves had been shattered, with only a few shards of crystal glass hanging from the golden frames, but that didn't stop the brilliance from spreading across the sky, finally breaking up the overbearing, black clouds that filled the sky.

With Medusa defeated, the darkness was swept away by the shining light that bathed the war-torn land in its warmth. Its healing glow stretched across Skyworld, over the toppled pillars and flattened buildings, and onto the grim-faced statues of the centurions who had been turned to stone during Medusa's invasion. At its touch, the grey stone shuddered as cracks spread across each statue, before bursting outward in succession and releasing the soldiers within. They staggered around briefly, some gasping for breath while others just shook their heads in disoriented confusion. But a triumphant shout of joy quickly rose up from all around, and they lifted off the ground to rally around the goddess of light as they all realized that Medusa had been defeated and light had been restored to Angel Land.

Pit watched in awe as the light travelled across the vast expanses of Skyworld, and out onto the Overworld below. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed it, and how much of an immediate difference it was making right before his eyes. Colours burst forth as the land was liberated from the oppression of darkness, and plants and animals alike joyously emerged into the warm, familiar glow that had been restored to them. The trees and bushes rustled with rediscovered life, and birds gleefully took to the clear, blue skies. Humans, forced into hiding by the Underworld monsters running amok, were also able to come out into the open at last, scarcely believing that the nightmare was finally over. It wasn't long before even Pit could hear the cheers of the people of the Overworld reveling in the triumphant return of the goddess of light.

Palutena slowly lowered her staff with a soft sigh. She looked around at the elated centurions circling her, the gleaming marble of Skyworld, and the celebrating world beyond. It would be a while before things were completely back to normal; after all, even she needed time to catch her breath. Restoring the ruins of Skyworld to their former glory would be no small feat, and the earth would take even longer to heal. Medusa, brief though her rule had been, had left quite the scar on the world.

However, it was impossible not to smile at the overwhelming jubilee that accompanied the end of the war. In spite of everything betting against it, good had triumphed over evil, and light had banished the darkness. And, glancing down at the underdog hero that had brought about the hard-won peace, she new exactly what needed to be done next.

"Well, I don't know about you, Pit, but I could really use a nice, hot soak after all this drama."

His head whipped in her direction as he heard the words "hot soak", but his elated grin suddenly changed to a frown. "But the hot spring was destroyed. It's nothing but a room full of rubble now."

"Then I guess that's the first order of business," she returned with a grin. "I'm hereby initiating phase one of Operation Clean Up Skyworld: refurbishing the hot spring!"

If Pit could smile any harder, his face would split in two. "Woo hoo!" He leapt into the air excitedly. "That's the best idea I've heard all day! Bring on the hot spring!"

"I'm glad you think so. Now, run along. No time like the present."

"…Huh?"

"That hot spring isn't going to restore itself, you know."

"But… But I thought…"

"Yes?"

"Can't you… with your staff…?"

"Pit, I just restored light to the heavens, freed the remaining centurions, and performed the Judgement of Heroes on you, remember? If I push myself much harder, Skyworld itself might fall to the ground."

"Oh. That… would be bad."

"Now, maybe I'd have the energy to if you'd been able to decide what pose would best fit your triumphant return before you'd gotten mauled by that reaper..."

" _Erk!_ Y-you know about that…?"

"I know everything, Pit. Now, I've got to find a safe place for the Three Sacred Treasures, while you start cleaning up the hot spring. I'm sure the centurions will be happy to help out their victorious captain." With a winning smile, she turned on her heels and headed into the palace with the Treasures' case held securely under her arm.

Pit sighed, slumping slightly. _That's Lady Palutena, alright_ , he thought with a tired smile. As humiliating as her humour could be sometimes, he was ever so glad that she still had it in spades. She was back, and it was a relief to know that not even her recent imprisonment could dampen her spirits as she cheerfully issued orders to the inhabitants of Skyworld.

 _Speaking of 'dampen'_ … "Okay, men! You heard Lady Palutena! Let's get working on that hot spring!"

Palutena turned and watched as Pit and his soldiers headed down towards their work site. The freed centurions were cheering on their captain, and a few had swooped underneath him and were carrying him on their shoulders despite his loud protests. She couldn't help but smile as he struggled to maintain the air of a newly-promoted, dignified, heroic captain as the celebrating and contagious laughter joyously erupted all around him.

She retreated to the depths of the Palace in the Sky and rubbed her face firmly. She wasn't kidding when she'd said she didn't have the energy to help out right now; her power was only beginning to return after Medusa had suppressed it for so long. But she couldn't let Pit see how exhausted she really was. It wouldn't be long before she got back into the swing of things, but for now, it wouldn't be right to ruin his triumphant return by having him worry about her.

She shook her head as she pondered the overlooked, little angel who, despite lacking the fundamental ability to fly had earned the right to wield the Three Sacred Treasures, defeated the Underworld Army, and literally saved the entire world entirely on his own. The same angel who had just passed by the remains of the kitchen and had discovered a relatively intact sandwich in the somehow still functioning cooler that he was now happily munching on as he followed the centurions to the hot spring.

Maybe he was a bit of a goofball sometimes, and maybe he wasn't always the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he had a few other shortcomings she could name, but he more than made up for it with his unquenchable determination, unwavering hope, and eternal, childlike belief that the good guys would always win in the end. He was always there to make her smile, even when there didn't seem to be anything to smile about. And she wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

 **A.N.** : Eeeend scene!

That was… quite a bit longer than I thought it was going to be. But I think I got the ending flushed out enough. I tried to incorporate the "multiple endings" into this as well, even if I only focused on the worst and the best ones – they're the only interesting ones anyway, hahaha.

Anyway, thanks for reading, please don't hesitate to leave a review, and have yourself a wonderful day! :D

Nora


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